Traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway resumed normalcy after a standstill that lasted nearly half a day.
On Wednesday afternoon, vehicle flow started easing and by the evening's rush hour, traffic was virtually non-existent in different segments along the highway such as Rabna, Rasulpur, Pouli, Elenga, Hatia, and Salla.
Prior to this unusual calm, a series of accidents, vehicle breakdowns, temporary toll collection suspension, and reckless driving resulted in a traffic gridlock along a 35-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway, stretching from the east side of the Bangabandhu Bridge to the Pakulla area of Mirzapur upazila in Tangail.
Dhaka TribuneAs the day wore on, the gridlock began to dissipate, bringing relief to the countless commuters caught up in the chaos.
More than 700 personnel from the district police, highway police, and local police stations worked tirelessly to alleviate the congestion, supported by teams from the district administration.
Speaking on the matter, Tangail Police Superintendent Sarkar Mohammad Kaiser said: "The traffic congestion started due to an accident on the bridge and on the highway. The congestion has been reducing since the afternoon. Currently, there is virtually no traffic on the highway."
The Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway is a crucial transport route for 23 districts in the northern part of the country, and on an average day, between 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles cross the bridge.
During the Eid and other holidays, this number increases manifold.
The Bangabandhu Bridge authorities set a new record in terms of the number of vehicles and toll collection during the Eid travel.
Some 55,488 vehicles have crossed over the bridge in 24 hours from 12am on Monday to 12am on Tuesday.
This is the highest number of vehicles to have crossed the bridge since its inauguration.
As a result, a new record was also set in toll collection, with a whopping Tk3,58,40,200 collected.
